Rwanda is set to begin vaccine and therapeutic clinical trials to combat Marburg disease, as the country grapples with its first outbreak of the deadly viral fever, which has already claimed 11 lives.
Yvan Butera, Rwanda’s assistant health minister, announced on Thursday that the trials will aim to protect high-risk groups, though details of the drug being tested were not disclosed.
The outbreak was first confirmed in late September, with 36 cases reported to date, according to the Ministry of Health.
Authorities are closely monitoring 410 individuals who have had contact with infected patients. While five more people tested negative for the virus, further tests are pending.
Marburg disease, a viral hemorrhagic fever, presents symptoms such as severe headaches, vomiting, and muscle pain.
The disease has a high fatality rate of up to 88%, similar to Ebola, and is primarily transmitted to humans through fruit bats before spreading via contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals.
Rwanda’s neighbors, Tanzania and Uganda, have also experienced outbreaks in recent years, with Tanzania reporting cases in 2023 and Uganda in 2017.
